HBCUs and the Divine Nine have always influenced culture — from the way we lead and serve to the way we show up, celebrate, and express ourselves. That influence rarely gets the credit it deserves when it shows up in fashion. For The Culture 2.0, a new Cross Colours campaign, is one attempt at closing that gap.
A Campaign Rooted in Real Chapters
The campaign centers Los Angeles-area undergraduate and alumni members of the Divine Nine, styled in a mix of vintage and contemporary Cross Colours pieces and presented by Black Radiance Beauty and the Black Design Collective. It was co-created by two HBCU alumni: myself, a Virginia State graduate and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Kadeem Pilgrim, a Hampton graduate, member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and Cross Colours’ senior director of marketing and brand partnerships. The goal from the start was simple — give the community something that feels like us, made by people who actually come from it.
